Mumbai, March 19 -- The key equity indices traded with small gains in the afternoon trade. The Nifty traded above the 22,900 level. Realty, PSU Bank, and consumer durables shares advanced while IT and FMCG shares declined.

At 13:30 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, advanced 188.78 points or 0.26% to 75,498.47. The Nifty 50 index added 78.25 points or 0.34% to 22,912.55.

The broader market outperformed the frontline indices. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 2.09%, and the S&P BSE Small-Cap index added 1.88%.

The market breadth was strong. On the BSE, 2,972 shares rose and 968 shares fell. A total of 127 shares were unchanged.

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of the market's expectation of volatility over the near term, added 1.30...